Chapter 16 – A Night of Dramatic Change (Part Five)

At the same time, her hairpin thrust forcefully into his chest, slashing ruthlessly across it. The movement was clean and decisive.

She collapsed onto the bed, coughing up a large amount of blood, and lost consciousness.

He was furious to see his own chest covered in blood. A wound seven or eight inches long ran from his left chest down to his abdomen. The pain was mixed with a tingling numbness.

Damn it, the hairpin was also coated with poison. The force of his palm strike had accelerated the spread of the poison.

Clutching his wound, he walked to the table, pulled open a drawer, took out an antidote pill and swallowed it. Then he took out a vial of hemostatic powder and poured it onto the wound.

He struggled to control his anger. This was not the time to settle accounts.

He put on his clothes, tore down the bed curtain to cover the scene, made himself look somewhat presentable, and pressed the button on the desk.

The door burst open, and Wei Bao flew inside.

The fact that his master urgently summoned him at a time like this when he should have been enjoying a soft warm bed must mean something had happened.

He rushed into the bedchamber and saw his master sitting at the table in meditation, motionless, his face dark.

He observed his master’s expression and asked cautiously, “Master?”

The Dragon King said coldly, “Go fetch Qingzhou. Then wait outside. No one enters without my command.”

Wei Bao knew something was wrong but dared not ask. He hurried away.

In less than half an incense stick’s time, Ye Qingzhou arrived hastily. The Dragon King stared at him with a strange expression.

Ye Qingzhou raised his eyebrows in a silent question. The Dragon King was silent for a moment, then pulled open his clothes to reveal his chest covered in blood.

“Examine the wound,” he said in a very unpleasant tone.

Ye Qingzhou dared not show surprise, nor did he dare ask the reason. He focused on examining the wound.

The cut was extremely deep, and the weapon had been coated with poison. If it had gone just a little deeper, it would have reached the heart. Were it not for the Dragon King’s strong body, his considerable resistance to poison, and his timely ingestion of the antidote, he might have fallen unconscious or even died from the poison.

Ye Qingzhou could hardly imagine what had happened to injure his master like this. The master hadn’t suffered such a serious wound in many years.

“That was close. You nearly—”

Ye Qingzhou murmured, then suddenly felt his master’s cold gaze stabbing at him. He quickly shut his mouth, secretly admiring his master. To be so severely wounded and not even flinch.

“What about it?”

Ye Qingzhou wiped away his cold sweat. “The injury and poison are under control for now. I’ll find a skilled physician to examine you later. During this time, Master, you must abstain from alcohol, sex, spicy, greasy, and heavily seasoned foods…”

“And what else?” The Dragon King was clearly suppressing his anger.

Ye Qingzhou glanced at his master’s expressionless face and said hesitantly, “Abstain from practicing martial arts and circulating internal energy. Abstain from losing your temper or getting angry.”

With a loud “bang,” the Dragon King slammed his hand on the table, causing the table and Ye Qingzhou to jump.

But this was clearly not a wise move. A sharp pain shot through his chest, and his brow furrowed involuntarily.

Ye Qingzhou put on an obedient face and remained silent. He knew his master should not be provoked at a time like this.

“When will it heal?”

“About two to three months for a full recovery.”

Two or three months. The Dragon King gave a cold snort and forced himself to suppress his anger.

The most important thing now was to heal his wound. Then slowly, he would settle accounts with her, that is if she wasn’t killed by his palm strike.

And the Stronghold, he would not let them off either.

Ye Qingzhou spent more than an hour helping his master circulate his Qi to expel the poison.

It was already broad daylight. The maidservants had been waiting outside for a long time, but since the master had not called them in, no one dared to move.

Ye Qingzhou understood that his master didn’t want anyone to see him in this state. The dignity of the Dragon King must be preserved and upheld at all times.

He was a bit tired. He had spent a lot of effort dealing with that woman last night, and now helping his master with energy circulation had drained his energy as well.

Fortunately, his master’s complexion looked somewhat rosier. He was no longer in mortal danger.

Thinking about his master having to abstain from martial arts, fine wine, and beautiful women for two months, Ye Qingzhou felt a pang of sympathy. His supreme and unrivaled master hadn’t suffered like this in a long time.

The Dragon King leaned back and closed his eyes. “Go see if she’s still alive.”

She?

Ye Qingzhou glanced at the bed. From the moment he stepped into his master’s chamber, he was full of questions. Then seeing his master’s injury only deepened his curiosity. Finally, he could openly find out what had happened.

He lifted the gauze curtain. The bed was in chaos, covered with shocking bloodstains.

The woman named Ru Ye lay unconscious. Her face was deathly pale, with traces of dried blood still at the corners of her mouth.

He reached out to check her breath. It was very weak, but she was at least still alive.

He took her hand, which lay outside the blanket, and felt her pulse. Such severe internal injuries—it must have been done by his master.

This woman was truly formidable. She survived a heavy strike from the Dragon King. No wonder she had the courage to come to the Dragon Palace.

He picked up a bloodstained hairpin from the floor. Matching it to the wound on his master’s body, it was most likely the murder weapon.

He carefully observed everything in the room, piecing together the clues, and vaguely guessed what had happened.

It was hard to believe that this quiet-looking woman could injure his master to such an extent and even survive his counterattack.

But surviving now might not be a good thing. From now on, living might be worse for her than dying. The Dragon King’s dignity was not to be violated.

He returned to the Dragon King’s side and said softly, “She’s alive, but if she doesn’t receive treatment soon…”

The Dragon King sneered, picked up his outer robe, and walked towards the door. “Get her out of here. Do whatever you want with her, but don’t let her die. I still have scores to settle. Clean up this place too. And—”

He looked back at Ye Qingzhou with a dark expression. “Seal your lips tightly about what happened tonight.”

Ye Qingzhou smiled wryly. “Understood.”

He had grown up by his master’s side and believed he understood his master’s mind better than anyone.

What happened tonight was a great embarrassment to his master. Naturally, he would not want it to spread. More importantly, the details must not be discovered by the Stronghold.

He looked at the unconscious beauty and sighed. Her internal injuries were very severe. It would be hard for her to fully recover.

Wei Bao had been pacing anxiously outside the door. When he saw his master come out, he started to speak. But the Dragon King waved his hand to stop him and said, “We’ll talk about this later. For now, you need not concern yourself.”

What exactly happened? Why wouldn’t he tell him?

Wei Bao followed behind his master, sneaking glances into the room as he walked. He would have to find Ye Qingzhou later and get a clear answer. He had heard that something had also happened on Ye Qingzhou’s side tonight. Could it be related to what happened here?

Whatever it was, if anyone dared to harm his master, he would kill them—by any means necessary!